What we do
Valleys Kids is a place-based community development charity that provides essential support, advice and opportunities to people of all ages in Rhondda Cynon Taf, the eighth most densely populated local authority in Wales.
Overview
We work with people experiencing acute poverty, social isolation, adverse childhood experiences and poor health and wellbeing and provide a range of programmes and support measures to help end cycles of deprivation and provide hope and opportunity to people in need. Our vision is for individuals to realise social and individual change through education, participation, expression and creation.
Utilising community development, play, youth work and trauma-informed methodologies as well as specific and broad ranging arts methodologies, Valleys Kids aims to facilitate and enable positive change in the place-based and virtual communities in which we are embedded and that we support.
We seek improvements in socio- economic, environmental and cultural circumstances by bringing people together to solve collective challenges; maximising the expertise of individuals and developing strategies and solutions with a citizen-centric approach.
These methodologies are based on human values of social justice, equity and sustainability (social, cultural, economic and political). We understand that these methodologies are a “process not an event” and that these processes seek to tackle poverty, inequality and historic systemic dysfunction seeking sustainable transformation, predicated on a citizen centric approach; starting with the individual and what is relevant and important to them and their community.
Valleys Kids works across seven programme areas:
Community development
Valleys Kids has community development methodology at its heart and has practised community development for over 45 years.
Playwork
Our Play Work programme encourages children to be active, creative, social and inquisitive.
Youth Work
We offer a wide range of services to young people which are all rooted in the principles of youth work.
Families
The Family Team is based in Cross Street, Penygraig, in the lower ground floor office. We are a specialist team who offers support to families and helps them to access services throughout RCT.
SPARC
Sparc is Valleys Kids’ vibrant Youth Arts Project. It was established to give young people creative opportunities with professional youth arts workers to devise and create work that is important to them.
Visual Arts
Our art classes for older adults run in Penyrenglyn, Penygraig and Porth.
Adults
We believe you never have to stop growing and learning, no matter your age.
Through a place-based approach, we develop relationships and trust with people in the community that allows us to support children, families and adults in their most vulnerable times and provide creative and aspirational activities in trusted spaces, enabling wider engagement and participation.
We work daily from our Community and Family Hubs in Rhydyfelin, Dinas, Penygraig and Penyrenglyn, supplemented by work at our social enterprises in Porth, Penygraig, Ynyswen and our residential centre on the Gower.
We are a first point of contact for advice, advocacy and support for hundreds of people each week at each Community and Family Hub and we know that the number of people yet to access our support will increase as the cost of living and energy crises plunge more families into poverty.
As the communities where we work continue to recover from the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and come to terms with a worsening cost of living crisis, and issues like equality and climate justice become more and more urgent, it is clear that our work is more important than ever before.
Through a place-based approach, we develop relationships and trust with people in the community that allows us to support children, families and adults in their most vulnerable times and provide creative and aspirational activities in trusted spaces, enabling wider engagement and participation.
We work daily from our Community and Family Hubs in Rhydyfelin, Dinas, Penygraig and Penyrenglyn, supplemented by work at our social enterprises in Porth, Penygraig, Ynyswen and our residential centre on the Gower.
We are a first point of contact for advice, advocacy and support for hundreds of people each week at each Community and Family Hub and we know that the number of people yet to access our support will increase as the cost of living and energy crises plunge more families into poverty.
As the communities where we work continue to recover from the long-term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and come to terms with a worsening cost of living crisis, and issues like equality and climate justice become more and more urgent, it is clear that our work is more important than ever before.
Our work is driven by the belief that everyone has the right to lead a fulfilling and successful life and that opportunities to experience and learn new things, with the support of strong families and communities, are the most powerful means of enabling people of all ages to realise their potential. Our presence in these communities, and the trust we have developed within them, is one of our greatest strengths and the welcoming, non-judgemental, safe spaces we provide through our Community and Family Hubs and social enterprises are places of hope, empowerment, inspiration and fun.
Our services continue to be oversubscribed and we are aware that people in our communities face profound challenges as they consider and prepare for their future lives.
Valleys Kids employs highly skilled staff, many of whom have lived-experience of the challenges of poverty, who work closely and carefully with people to help them lead in the development of the programmes and projects we deliver. Our work offers a wide spectrum of programmes that are engaging, offer progress and encourage peer-to-peer support.
